July 1, 2019
Hello Hello! Where has this week gone!? It has completely just flown by honestly! In a dream I had this last week I was back home, crying to my mom about how all I wanted to do was be a missionary and I was telling her about how I thought I had all this time, and then it just flew by too fast. That's how this last week has had me feeling! It's all going too fast. Sometimes I just wish I could slow down and enjoy it all a bit more, but life (and the work!) keep marching on.
Hello Hello! Where has this week gone!? It has completely just flown by honestly! In a dream I had this last week I was back home, crying to my mom about how all I wanted to do was be a missionary and I was telling her about how I thought I had all this time, and then it just flew by too fast. That's how this last week has had me feeling! It's all going too fast. Sometimes I just wish I could slow down and enjoy it all a bit more, but life (and the work!) keep marching on.
We started out last week with a fantastic District Council centered on the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I absolutely loved it, and found so much more comfort in the knowledge of this great sacrifice that the Saviour has made for me than I have in a while. After speaking with my family this last Monday, I decided to study the talk, "None Were With Him" by Elder Holland from the 2009 April General Conference. They had studied it this last week while doing Come Follow Me, and told me about their experiences while studying it. Oh how I love this talk! We read so much about the pain Christ would experience while atoning for us. "...He shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions of every kind... He will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of His people." "...He shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue even more than man can suffer..." I just have never thought to include the feeling of utter loneliness with all of that.
Elder Holland said, "For His Atonement to be infinite and eternal, He had to feel what it was like to die not only physically but spiritually, to sense what it was like to have the divine Spirit withdraw, leaving one feeling totally, abjectly, hopelessly alone. But Jesus held on. He pressed on. The goodness in Him allowed faith to triumph even in a state of complete anguish. The trust He lived by told Him in spite of His feelings that divine compassion is never absent, that God is always faithful, that He never flees nor fails us."
Too many of us know the feeling of being "totally, abjectly, hopelessly alone" all too well. I almost feel a little bashful to admit that I have felt that way, but at what point have we all not felt that way? When Satan plants in our minds that we are alone and that God and Christ aren't there, we almost feel neglected. Defeated even. Except, we are not alone. Christ knows what it is like to feel alone, and as a result, we will never have to suffer through anything alone. "...He will take upon Him their infirmities, that His bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that He may know according to the flesh how to succor His people according to their infirmities."
Everyday this week I have made an extra effort to study more of Christ's life and His Atonement, and I honestly am so grateful I have. I love my Saviour so much it almost hurts. I cannot wait for the day when I will get to thank Him over and over again for being on my side, loving me, and for never leaving me alone in my sufferings. "If God be for us, who can be against us?" I take maybe a little too much pride in knowing this. Ha!
This week I have been so happy and full of joy for having Christ as my Saviour, my friend.
On Thursday we got to go to the temple with Andrew to go baptisms with him for the first time!! I still am in awe at how beautiful the baptistry is in the Preston Temple. The feeling of peace that accompanies the temple makes me never want to leave. (And we went to Costco!! Felt like we were in America haha.)
But then we had to leave- exchanges with Sister Palavi and Sister Crandall were calling! I had an edifying time, and am always so grateful for the love that the sisters show to us.
Friday evening was great for our first little Friday Night Activity. We had a pizza party, and were happy to have a whole Returning-Member family there!! Yay!!
Well, we made it out to Martha on Saturday. The whole time Sister Biggs and I were trying our best to ask inspired questions that would lead to her telling us that she's already a memeber- that way we wouldn't have to awkwardly ask about when she was baptized. She kept up the act though, and we left her home feeling defeated and confused. She so earnestly insisted she'd only ever been christened as a baby, and had only been to church twice. We just didn't know what to think up until she sent us a text informing us that she was so sorry she'd lied to us and that was indeed a member. She was baptized in 1999. We'll be going back to her in 2 weeks, and then we'll be able to hopefully find out her concerns and see what we can do to get her comfortably back to church.
Yesterday while we were walking home from church, we ran into another returning-member named Mr. Randall. He is a real funny man! Sister Biggs asked him about the Book of Mormon, and he goes, "Who?" Oh we laughed so hard. Another good line from a while ago was this:
"Mr. Randall, what do you remember about the word of wisdom?"
"Who's she?"
Ha! Comedy gold right there.
Today for Zone P-day we had a Fourth of July party! God bless the USA (in good ol' England- or as I like to call it, the motherland.) Sister Biggs and I looked pretty fly sporting our red, white, and blue windbreakers and with a pumpkin pie in hand. USA!
Overall, all I really have to say about how this week has made me feel, is that it is well with my soul.
Love you all! Have a fab week!
-Sister Sellick
